Space Race Dbq Essay

The 1960’s were a period of social turmoil. The cold war had been brewing and was a contest of nationalistic interests between the US and Soviet Union to compete for militaristic, economic, social, and technological might. As the cold war culminated and became increasingly competitive, the United States and Soviets competed in the phenomenon called the Space Race, a competition between the two countries for supremacy in the frontier that is space. Although the Soviets reached space itself before the Americans, The United States took the advantage by landing the first people on the moon using the Apollo 11 spacecraft. The Apollo 11 moon landing influenced American nationalism in the late 1960s and early 70s by inciting a positive public reaction

According to Nielsen reports and broadcast records from 1969, a total of 123 million Americans tuned in to watch this momentous moment in history, where America had again gained the edge over the Soviets in the Cold War. It was such an impressive achievement that average Americans didn’t even acknowledge its significance until later. To them it was an impressive and emotional event filled with determination, happiness, pride and awe that someone had walked on the moon. Over half a billion people worldwide tuned into the broadcast, simply awed and astounded at the accomplishment. (Doc 2) People flocked to the event at parties and gatherings all across the nation. At this Smithsonian museum a massive 700 people arrived to watch the moon landing all on one screen. Written by to showcase American reactions and biases towards the landing and portray the public opinion for the world, Ferell Guillory wrote the aformentioned ‘Instant History,’ describing people’s immediate reactions towards the event to

After the US landed the Apollo on the moon, even the Soviets admitted defeat, that they were bested in the Space Race. With the adamant success of the Apollo space program, Soviets practically stopped their space development. There was no need to rush and take risks anymore. After all, the whole point of the Space Race was originally a bragging right showcasing science, technology and the strength of the determination of the people of the respective country. Unfortunately, the hectic and irresponsible tactics used on the Soviet side led to multiple deaths. The Space Race seemed to only benefit the Soviets in the beginning. They were the first to launch Sputnik in 1957, and famously the first to put a man in space, Yuri Gagarin. According to historians though, these initial Soviet victories helped the United States to reach the moon first. In an effort to educate the public about the impacts of the original Soviet dominance in the war and how it helped propel the United States into the country who landed on the moon first, Asif Siddiqi, an esteemed space historian with a PhD from Fordham University stated, "In some ways, Sputnik and Gagarin were like gifts to NASA...You're not going to have a moon program without that kind of a shock." Being an unbiased historian who has written a multitude of novels on the Soviet side of the Space Race, Siddiqi educates the public to the importance of the